Here at Futurelooks, we like technological innovations. Most of the time, these changes are really interesting. And, these changes often inspire further change throughout the industry. Silverstone has been a company that really pushes innovation and today we’re going to take a look at a computer case that’s as original on the inside as it is on the outside. The Silverstone’s SST-RV02S Fortress 2 takes what we expect inside a computer case and flips it on its side…literally.
Features and Specifications
The Fortress and Raven series of Silverstone computers are both unconventional and have some interesting things in common. Both feature a horizontal interior design which is a signature of Silverstone cases. The chassis is designed to use natural convection to send the hot air up and out of the case. As you can see from the picture above, the fans blow the cold air up so as it heats up it gets expelled by the exhaust fan.
The Fortress uses a hybrid construction as it is fabricated from both an aluminum unibody frame and steel. This helps cut down or add some weight depending on how you look at it. At a healthy 15kg, it’s not the lightest of extended ATX cases available. But, that’s due to some other added features you won’t find in any other case.
Silverstone added some sound dampening material to the panels. It’s not entirely necessary, but we’ll take it. It’s added extra to combat noise coming from any of the internal fans or components. There’s also a filter on just about every ventilated port, keeping things dust free in the process.
The Fortress sports 1 x 120mm top 1200rpm exhaust fan and 3 x 180mm bottom 700/1000 intake fans. While the top fan is rated to 19dBA, the three bottom fans are large enough that they don’t require very high RPMs to move a considerable amount of air. This limits their fan noise around 18 to 27dBA depending on the setting.
The Silverstone SSD-FT02(S) retails for $229 US MSRP and is the silver version of the case with a black and new red edition ($249 US) available. Windowed versions are also available for $249 US MSRP.
What’s In The Box?
Because the Fortress is mostly tooless and comes with many accessories already built in, the included bundle is pretty simple. This is actually a good thing since lots of extras mean longer set up times.
The bundle includes the screws necessary to mount your motherboard, hard drives, optical drives, expansion cards and even a small black plastic tray for a single Solid State Drive. You’ll also find some useful wire wraps, a large Velcro strap (which could be cut to size really) and 4-pin to triple 3-pin splitter for the connecting the three bottom fans if you like. This is a very efficient bundle when it comes down to it.
The Silverstone SST-FT02S Fortress 2 computer chassis will set you back $249 US and comes in silver (as tested) and black.
Temjin + Raven = Fortress
The Fortress is definitely a pretty stout case. It’s roughly 24 inches long, by 20 inches tall, by 8.5 inches deep. That’s roughly 4 inches longer than the typical tower chassis. But, all that size equates in to plenty of internal space for the largest components we can expect in the next five years.
At the bottom of the case there’s a one inch gap between the bottom case frame and chassis frame. This allows cool air to be drawn in via the 3 x 180mm fans which help push the cold air up across toasty components. Despite the appearance of the bottom frame, it’s indeed rather sturdy. But we wouldn’t recommend you stand on the case all the same.
The Action Is At The Top
Much of the innovation is at the top of the Fortress chassis. Along with the standard USB, audio and expansion ports, you’ll find this is where your system’s I/O ports can be accessed. Locating the ports may not be familiar to someone who has never seen a case like this before. With a little dexterity, the top vented chassis cap is actually removable. It’s designed to conceal the I/O area and wiring to give the system a more organized and clean look.
Looking at the back, you can see one of the two ports where wires can then be run out when needed. The top, front and rear ports are plenty large enough that there should be enough room to bend even the thickest of DVI and power cables. The only other feature that can be seen from the back is the rear filtered vent. This allows dust free air to be drawn in by the power supply inside.
As you can see, this is very different from conventional case designs that typically have all the cables looping out from the back. Looks like Silverstone thought of everything so far.
Having a Look Inside
Compared to conventional computer cases, the Fortress interior is a work of art bringing physics and technology together. Like the Raven, the chassis is situated horizontally so that the CPU, video card and component naturally expel heat up and out of the case. Overall, this is very a logical way of dealing thermal issues.
The over sized motherboard tray has a large cut out for easy CPU cooler maintenance and installation and is a very welcome feature. You can see the removable trays in the vertically mounted hard drive bays and the optical drive bays definitely offer the best tool-less functionality thus far. Just press the bottom to lock the drive into place and then hit the top button to unlock.
The bottom three cooling fans are quite thick and are fed power via a 3-pin power connector. You’ll be happy to know there’s a 3-pin Y-splitter to help simplify things. Underneath each fan is a removable filter to keep things clean when pulling air up into the case and the honeycomb grills actually focuses airflow, increasing the efficiency of the fans.
Cable management is included as one of the strong features of this case. All of those oval cut outs up top and at the bottom of the motherboard tray will come in handy running wires. There’s also enough space behind the tray to nicely pack wires however you see fit. The design definitely encourages a clean chassis.
About the only thing missing that would come in handy are some hooks or extra holes for tying off wires with zip ties. Depending on your skills, some of those wires will sit toward the bottom of the case and may be visible through the bottom cut outs. It’s not the end of the world though. Just be a little resourceful.
Test System Setup
In order to test out the Fortress experience, we installed a proper high end system into the chassis. Here’s a list of the components used to represent a typical, upscale mainstream system one might use with this chassis.
- Intel Core i7-870 Lynnfield LGA1156 Processor
- Intel DP55KG Kingsberg LGA1156 Motherboard
- Patriot Memory 4GB 2000MHz ViperII DDR3 Memory
- Western Digital 2TB Caviar Black Edition SATAII Hard Drive
- 2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB SATAII Hard Drives
- Antec TPQ-1200 Watt Power Supply
- Zotac Geforce GTX295 Graphics Card
- Thermalright Venomous X CPU Cooler
There were no particular installation issues to note here as the installation experience is quite refined in this premium chassis. You tend to expect the best when you spend $229US on a chassis. The extra length and height of the chassis make managing the system an easy task, especially if you have big hands. In some cases, you may find it necessary to lay the system on its side during installation and the rather large and heavy GTX 295 do need a little extra care.
Performance Results
To see just how efficient the Fortress is at cooling its occupant, two temperature probes connected to a Zalman ZM-MFC2 Fan Controller were placed towards the center of the case. Idle, desktop, and full system load temperatures as well as fan noise were recorded.
The Fortress did a very commendable job of moving huge quantities of air up and out of the case so well, that there was very little heat build up. The warm air was just all too happy to follow the laws of physics and thermal dynamics. If you put your hand over the top of the case, you can actually feel the warm air coming out at a decent rate.
Noise was a little trickier to measure. The graphics card’s fan noise could easily be heard over the case’s fans especially at full load. For this reason, the system had to be powered off and only the cooling fans powered on to record accurate results.
Something to keep in mind about the Fortress is that the loudest location is directly above the case due to the exhaust fan opening. If it’s sitting on a desk, any noise will be directed up away from you. If it’s on the floor underneath your desk, you might be able to hear it more assuming it’s right next to your knees. The noise dampening pads in the side panels do work well enough to shave off 14 dBA from the rather noisy dual GPU GTX295.
Final Thoughts
When we first saw the Raven two years ago, it wasn’t the appearance that intriguing to us, but that of of the internal chassis innovations. It was proof that we sometimes either love or hate something merely because of the way it looks. Since many users just like computer cases with a simple design that keeps things to be neat and clean, the Raven 2 cut back on the aggressive styling, returning it to a more classic “Silverstone” like look.
The Silvestone Fortress 2 continues the innovative tradition by offering an even simpler design without sacrificing any of their signature features. You’ll find it to be one of the nicest enclosures to house your favorite system, from the installation, to the thermals to the overall user experience.
At an MSRP of $229 US, it’s comparably priced among other premium level enclosures available. You may even find it priced higher due to high demand at your favourite retailer. Simply put, the Fortress 2 is one of few enclosures that live up to the price you pay.
Pros
- Innovative exterior and interior design
- Great controlled cooling without the noise
- Commanding stature and appearance
- Cable management at its finest
- Quality materials and fabrication
Cons
- Might be a little plain looking for some
- Premium price for premium quality
Overall Rating: 9.5 / 10.0
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